On being BUSY!

What's that old saying, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop?"  I have found this to be true.  Or, at the very least, "Idle hands leads to low self-worth and boredom."

So if this is true, what is the opposite?  I haven't found a quote for being TOO busy.  Maybe it's because, at least in my Protestant work ethic-laden area of the globe, being busy is what makes a moral person.  It's engrained in us from very early on that working, at anything, is something to strive for.

But shouldn't there be a happy medium?  Maybe in June.

It seems as though May is an INSANE month for many people.  There are graduations, end-of-the-school year activities, Mother's Day, rummage sales, lots of birthdays (it seems like many folks were busy in August too, if you know what I'm sayin'....), just tons of things going on.  The weather is getting nicer here in the Western Hemisphere, so lots of people are beginning their gardening, painting, lawn care - GAH!!!  Is there any time to just breathe and enjoy it?!?

Being on the other side of the 9-to-5 fence, I really thought I'd have more time to just relax.  HAH!  Yes, I am doing all the things I absolutely love to do, but it definitely keeps my busier than I ever thought!  Plus, I'm volunteering more, starting new projects, building my business - all of these things that I never anticipated would bring so much work.  And I love it.  But I certainly AM busy.

I think humans have an instinctual need to be busy.  We are animals after all, albeit smarter that the average bear (sometimes).  But too much slothy time can mean trouble - it almost always does.  Isn't that why we love vacations?  Because deep down, we know that we will eventually settle back into working?

So many people have lost their jobs over the past year and a half.  I personally know many people that this affected.  I worried about it myself many, many times.  And it wasn't so much the money that was a concern, it was "What am I going to do now?".  I think that's true for many people; if you don't feel as if you have a purpose, then what IS our purpose?  How are we going to contribute if we can't work?  It's good to see that things are slowly turning around as far as unemployment goes - it makes for happier, busier people.

I like Europe's idea.  They all work hard but they also take two-hour lunches.  They have more vacation time than anyone else in the free world.  They take naps in the afternoon, but they still put in an 8-hour day.  They have the best maternity leave laws on earth.  Let's adopt THIS way of life!  I think we'd all be less stressed, don't you?